DARKIE DAY !!!!! There I said it! ( why is it so contentious ), There is no black in the union jack , England will never, never, will be slaves, Burkas, non-touching of hands, seeing the sole of a foot, wearing no undies under a kilt, deriding red hair, getting hit with a flip-flop what do these things have in common? Subjectivity! the history of the viewer! These things offend some, and are traditions to others, as a minority there is the argument that to potentially offend a tiny portion of the community, to retain non -violent, non- aggressive traditions, of a newly founded minority is acceptable as long as it is intrinsic to their traditions non-violent and within context . Let me put it another way, to wear a Burka, to non Burka wearers can be offensive, but to allow that tradition to live on we tolerate it as tolerance is a mainstay of our multicultural inclusive nation. After all what is the opposite? Fascism! Or take the Rastafarian mans hat, or the turban, they are cultural dress that bothers some people to the point of racism but these things are protected by their minority status . So what is Cornish minority status worth? what can it protect? with out the need to explain or defend what use it is to the man /woman on the street. This is the valid question put to the Hope Project Cornwall in our Debating Corner by the local Cornish switched on youth. As a minority focused C.I.C we are here to protect and foster minorities and their traditions, and what we noticed is there is now a new arena for the Cornish to debate in! and in that arena are traditions that are now more protected due to the new untested minority status for Cornwall. What Cornish traditions have been carelessly eroded? Also there is an argument for some of them to be reinstated even at the risk of alienating a small part of another minority in Cornwall that I am a part of, B,A,M,E, to be P.C or black people to you and I . What I am asking here, is what is a minority status? and do I have a right to stop an ancient tradition? because somebody blacks up their face, and parodies darker people ( if that is the actual case ) and calls it darkie day . Are my rights as a black person incomer more important than your rights to traditions that neither you or i can prove are racist . Further I will ask in what context can a white person black up without causing offence to some? and as an after thought is Worzal Gummage now a racist figure deriding the Cornish, and is any body other than racial quangos bothered. I think we have to go back in time to the history of Cornwall, it appears to me, that the word darkie was a descriptive collective word for dark person, and there was no original intent to offend, just to describe lazily. So its subjectivity is of non offence if seen in context of its time . So now this word and tradition is seen out of context in our time. considering the Cornish are now my brothers/sisters in being a minority. Should a perceived right to take offence, by a small part of my community, be more important than a Cornish minorities right to a tradition, that may even be celebrating black people like Joseph Emmedy the virtuoso! who came here as a slave and started the Cornish Symphonia now Hall For Cornwall. Could we as black people, and outsiders, be knee jerk oversensitive, to this tradition and many others that if left alone will be seen for what they are, ancient attempts of Pagan humor, by an Ethnic- now minority people, who were saved by global inclusion. Does a Pastafarian ( a follower of the church of the Spaggetti Monster ) offend a Rastafarian? I also ask you! will an erosion of Ethnic traditions make a self- fulfilling prophesy of racism? Will the void left, where real debate did not happen, give a place for the bad humor of the far right? That is after all, an English disease, it does not get a foothold in Scotland, the Scots will not have racism take over their valid nationalist agenda of a free Scotland! So why would Cornwall? Proud Cornish people are made to feel racist, for asking things, like is Darkie Day racist or not? And as a minority now, does Cornwall have the ability to start the long awaited debate, on what is Cornish culture? If we do not know what it is, how can we protect it! We at the Hope Project Cornwall are wanting to start a debate! A fair debate, where we B,A,M,E people, are willing to compromise, to allow others to retain traditions, even at the risk of potentially offending some of the black local community. The term Darkie Day does not bother me personally! In context! or anybody who I have ever met! So who is protecting me from an offence that I do not perceive and why? Also I may add! if you call a man a thing long enough, he will become that thing even if he is not that way inclined. The Cornish have had a problem with the way the English kings treated them Centuries ago! I agree with them as the Cornish were enslaved! and then banished from their land to other lands, that they then helped through mining and Agriculture. So this is a global inclusive society, that until the 1970s was regarded as a Sanctuary from English persecution. This is one global view. So its natural to feel that as a visibly non -Cornish person, a certain alienation from local society! but does this give me the right to stop some of your traditions? A fair question we have to ask at the Hope Project Cornwall is am I comfortable with eroding cultural events for my self, that did not directly harm or insult me! and so far the personal answer is NO ! Cornwall has for years now tried to stay P.C enforced by London and therefore would not debate what is fair for Cornish people, but you are now a minority! And with that you have rights! so now the debate needs to start from here 2014! By saying what are fair intrinsic traditions that need protection? and reinstatement, and what is the ignorance of the far right! these things need to be separated, if we are to refine and protect Cornish culture for us all! After all Cornish culture seems more global than local! What we see out there is a gagged stifled people, who are trying to be fair to others, whilst trying to keep a semblance of what it is to be Cornish! There is a strong tradition of dark humor in Cornwall, that at first glance, might not seem funny at all. But it is! and you will find it in any Seafaring community. It is this humor that allows you to put out to sea, on a horrible day or to work beyond comfort due to the nature of the landscape or job. This is the Great British backbone that we all respect in any hard situation to master. But as the Jewish found in Berlin at Cristal Nacht, humor is always the vessel of the far right, to allow a person to laugh and deride another person, is the tip of the crowbar to racial tensions. So with the Minority Status there is a inherent responsibility that needs to be grasped, to not go too far, but retain the unique humor and traditions, whilst respecting all other minorities. For instance, as a black person, I would never touch a Rastafarians locks, or a turban, I would never question why a Jewish person is usually married to a Jewish person. As I am a minority I make sure I respect other minorities, this is how it works. Yet where is the minority instruction booklet? there is non ! We have to learn this by encouraging a frank and honest debate, without fear of being labeled a racist, for asking things like is Darkie Day racist or not? Have I the right to stop it or not? Is it part of Cornish Culture to engage with a humor that some might be offended, if taken out of context. Just like us Liverpudlians use humor to lift spirits! or read minds! to get a sense of character and to make an impossible situation possible . Cornish Culture is what is at stake here! So what is Cornish Culture? And how do we protect it ? It seems to me the Cornish culture is a special thing! that has to be debated with the globe! to get a sense of what it is, as Cornwall went out to the globe, and this is its history! So to see Cornish Culture you need to start a debate now from a Globalized new minority perspective. Because three months ago it all changed for Cornwall if the nettle can be grasped. Racism the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. theories of racism prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that ones own race is superior We do not want overt racism on the streets! We also do not want to live in a place devoid of a real sense of cultural history, where people are quietly resentful of a decision being made for them by London years ago ,basically pointing a roaming finger at all of Cornwall and intimating racists, as this is far from the truth as possible. I protect my minority status, I have to also protect yours! As we as minorities grouped together, make the majority, and therefore we are all one, but uniquely staying ourselves. We see this in our protected traditions, and our tolerance of other traditions, that are seen within context and over time. So is Darkie Day a moral ancient right of a ethnic minority? Or is it a racists excuse to offend people? I can say it sticks in the mind more than Obbyos Day or Mummers day and I would rather go to a festival, that my race did not stop, due to my respect for the locals. Than one that got renamed to make me comfortable in their discomfort, especially as we are now kin in being a minority. To a person who is Duel Heritage I see and feel the racial pressures from both sides. Africans, Asians, etc, are also in danger of being racist to me, as much or as little as white people are. As the st pirran flag demonstrates a unity between black and white i feel able to ask us all to get real . So lets get real! Why have I got to choose between being pro Cornish! and pro black! I am sure I can be pro both! As we are both in danger of losing our sense of quirky unique personal histories. Due to the overzealous need to conform, to a politically correct erosion of our cultures, that helps nobody, but the far right who take the opportunity to intellectualize or stupidify the angst left in the physique of us as proud ethnic minorities . The erosion of Cornish traditions offends most! and we as black people, and outsiders, seeking the world famous Cornish sanctuary need to realize if we stop all traditions that might offend, then we leave the door open to the right wing elements, that take the joke and the disgruntled mindset too far, and erode black peoples safety and Cornish culture at the same time. So we all lose if we do not start the debate! We as outsiders need to stop and think, why was Cornwall regarded by some as a racist place? maybe its because their race has been undermined for thousands of years. So maybe they are fighting a race war! like us blacks feel we are! What we need, is to meet on the common ground of protection of the traditions and a respect for all minorities. In Cornwall the largest minority are the Cornish! So I would refrain from pointing fingers, and I would rather say, there are at times a lack of social responsibility, due to the absence of debate, on the protection of your own traditions. Yes there is racism here, big time, but maybe half of that racism is due to a frustration, of being watered down to suit the P.C mob. In short, if you hold a thing down, eventually it will squirt out of the sides, unregulated and without responsibility, and is in danger of being hijacked by the far right! So I would say these are unique times for the Cornish minority! Why do we have to be pro-black? Or pro-Cornish! I came here being both! and our debate, should be, to retain this school of thought, as we are all minorities now fighting for each others uniqueness, rather than apposing each other, when in the first place we accepted each other, and hoped each other would be prosperous and inclusive to our own non -violent ancient traditions. Cornwall is a sanctuary! And a sanctuary needs peace! And you cannot have peace, without first having a debate! We need to start that debate, on a global scale! At the same time, we need to protect each others traditions! as much as our own! Or the sanctuary of this fascinating culture and new minority will be lost!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:15:30 +0000